Summary

Gudeliai Primary School in the flow of time

Vilija Grincevičienė

Attempts to reveal the development of Gudeliai primary school and the peculiarities of the organisation of the educational process had been made earlier. However, the authors, in principle, relied on the stories of contemporaries. The material accumulated in the archives never attracted the attention of researchers. In the present article, the educational activities of Gudeliai Primary School in the flow of time are analysed on the basis of archival material, and the memoirs of contemporaries help only in the disclosure and/or clarification of some details. The article highlights the essential features of the teaching profession, especially those that are not subject to time. The importance of the educational environment and the influence of the interaction of educational participants on the quality of the educational process are discussed.
Gudeliai Primary School was one of the segments of the education system that contributed to the eradication of illiteracy, public education and enlightening of the inhabitants of the Suvalkija region. With the rapid growth in the number of pupils (17 pupils in 1923; 109 in 1934), working here of teachers who love the teaching profession, the school has become a hotbed of education and culture for the inhabitants of the surrounding villages. In 1935, Gudeliai Primary School moved to newly built buildings suitable for the educational process. Educational activities were not suppressed by the years of historical fractures either. The teachers who worked at the school remained faithful to the teaching profession; their love for children and one's own land did not allow to break in the face of challenges. The adjustment of the way of life of the people by the kolkhoz system and the realities of the times led to the fact that in 1975 the school was closed in Gudeliai.
To grow, to rise, to shine, to shine brightly, to fade and, after fulfilling its mission, to quietly extinguish – this is the trajectory of the Gudeliai Primary School road on the path of the country's education system.
Since 1997, there is an entertainment and leisure complex, a guest house in the former buildings of Gudeliai Primary School. Having acquired a new image, Gudelių Sodyba (Gudeliai Homestead) invites both compatriots and guests coming from abroad to celebrate memorable dates, to feast on Lithuanian dishes, homemade kvass, to rest meaningfully while admiring the uniquely decorated, well-groomed environment.